Motion detectors for security systems are well known. The most common type of motion detector is a passive IR detector that detects motion from animate, moving objects that emit IR, such as humans and animals. (The terms “object” and “objects” as used herein include animals and humans.) Passive IR motion detectors are usually designed to provide an indication (“breach indication”) to an alarm panel (or wirelessly to a receiver in communication with the alarm panel) in response to detecting IR that is indicative of motion of the object (e.g., by integrating the detected IR, or by otherwise processing the detected IR, to make a determination that the detected IR is indicative of motion). The alarm panel is responsive to receipt of the breach indication to cause an alarm condition to occur.
Animals, and especially cats, pose special problems for environments employing security systems with motion detectors because they are usually free to roam spaces in which motion detectors are employed (“protected space”) and hence, when the security system has been armed, they can set off an alarm when they enter the protected space. Although the protected spaces are usually zoned and specific zones can usually be bypassed at the alarm panel, this defeats the purpose of installing the motion detector in the protected space in the first instance.
Humans also pose a problem because they might forget that the protected space has been armed with a motion detector and wonder into it. Again, though protected spaces can usually be bypassed, bypassing defeats the purpose of the alarm system, and also humans can forget to bypass the protected zones when they arm the system. In addition, particularly in commercial and industrial establishments, the security system must be disabled, or appropriate zones must be bypassed at the alarm panel, to enable cleaning and maintenance crews, and the like, to work in a protected space. This again may defeat the purpose of the alarm system, and may also suffer from the disadvantage that the alarm disabling or bypass codes may need to be provided to the crews (or others) so that they can disable the alarm system or bypass the zone(s) while they work. This increases the chances that the codes will fall into the wrong hands and subsequently be used for illicit purposes.
It is desirable to provide a means by which protected spaces can remain armed and protected by motion detectors, but which allows authorized objects to roam within those spaces without setting off the alarm.
The present invention achieves this goal.